Israeli PM pushing for liberal Jewish prayer at holy site

JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is advancing a plan to allow non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

If Israel's Cabinet approves the plan in a vote expected on Sunday, advocates say it would mark unprecedented government support for liberal streams of Judaism.

According to the proposal, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the government would build a plaza for mixed gender prayer at the Western Wall, the holiest site at which Jews are allowed to pray. The site is currently divided by gender.

For years, a liberal Jewish women's group has angered ultra-Orthodox Jews by holding prayers that do not follow Orthodox religious restrictions on women.

The matter has sparked great interest in the U.S., where the liberal Jewish movements are dominant.